Track-instrument for electrically-controlled railroad-signals



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

O. H. SHERWOOD. TRACK INSTRUMENT FOR E'LEOTRIGALLY CONTROLLED RAILROADSIGNALS.

No. 550,555. 1355511555 NQV. 25, 1895.

1 M l N) INVENTOR WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY pNg Model.) 2 She etsSheet 2.

l G. H. SHERWOOD.

TRACK INSTRUMENT FOR ELEOTRIGALLY CONTROLLED RAILROAD SIGNALS.

No. 550,566. Patented Nov. 26, 1895.

11 JZ'n WITNESSES: INVENTOR c. fa/ M w/f/d m S ATTORNEY ANDREW BYGRAHAM.FNOTO-LITHO WASHINGTON. D1:

NITED STATES ATENT QFFICE.

ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY BURNE, NENV YORK.

TRACK-INSTRUMENT FOR ELECTRICALLY-CONTROLLED RAILROAD-SIGNALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,566, dated November26, 1895.

Application filed December 10, 1894:. Serial No. 531,866. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. SHERWOOD, of Utica, in the county ofOneida, in the State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Track-Instruments for Electrically-ControlledRailroad-Signals, of which the following, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to alarm-bells or audible signals employed onrailroads for signaling the position or approach of trains and operatedautomatically by the trains in motion; and the invention has specialreference to the species of signals which are controlled byelectromagnets in a circuit which has circuit-controllers or circuitmakers and breakers operated by track-instruments which are actuated bythe passing trains; and the in vention consists in an improvedconstruction of the track-instrument and means for transmitting motiontherefrom to the circuit-controller or circuit maker and breaker, ashere inafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrainmatic plan view of asection of railway equipped with a train-signal embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is partly a side view and partly a sectional view of my improvedtrackinstrument in connection with a circuit maker and breaker whichcontrols the signal to ring the alarm-bell. Fig. 3 is a transversesection 011 line X X in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached view ofthat end of the track-instrument which is adjacent to the track-rail.Fig. 5 is a detail view of said portion of the track-instrument. Fig. 6is a further enlarged sectional view of the-aforesaid instrument in itsoperative position, and Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the instrumentemployed for arresting the alarm.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

R represents one of the rails of a railroadtrack.

A denotes one of the electric circuit-controllers or circuit making andbreaking instruments designed to be operated automatically by thepassing trains and to sound the alarm-bell during the approach of thetrains toward road-crossin gs, switches,drawbridges, signal-towers, &c.Said instrument consists of standards a a, mounted on a frame l) andhaving fastened to their upper ends the metallic springs c c, whichconstitute two terminals of the electric circuit employed for ringingthe alarm-bell B, an exemplification of which latter is shown in Fig. 7of the drawings, which bell is located at the road-crossings or otherplaces requiring the signaling of approaching trains. Said terminals aresuitably insulated from the standards a a, as indicated at c, andconnected by insulated wire 25 with the magnets O of the bell and bywire t with the generator or battery U.

Between the standards is a vertical movable stem d, passing throughguides d d, attached to the standards. The upper end of said stem isprovided With a metallic or electric conducting-head a, insulated fromthe stem, as shown at a. To the lower end of the stemis connected ahorizontal plate or piston 6, preferably annular-shaped and pivoted tothe stem, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, to allow the plate torevolve in a horizontal plane for the purpose hereinafter explained.This plate rides on an arm f, fastened to the end of a rock-shaft g,which extends at right angles from the side of the track-rail R and ispart of the track-instrument employed for actuating the aforesaidelectric circuit maker and breaker.

Adjacent to the side of the rail R is an arm h, fixed at right angles tothe end of the rockshaft, which latter is sustained axially in such aposition as to cause the free end of the arm h to normally project abovethe rail R suffisition of the plate 6 holds the head a of the stem clout of contact with the terminals 0 o,

ciently to be tilted by the car-wheels coming and thus breaks theelectric circuit. Aspiral spring l, surrounding the lower portion of thestem 61 and pressing with opposite ends upon the plate 6 and against theunder side of the frame 1), serves to depress the plate with the stem.

The passage of a car-wheel over the arm h causes the latter to betilted, and thereby rocks the shaft g. The arm f on the opposite end ofthe said shaft receiving a corresponding motion causes said arm to liftthe plate 6, the stem d of which is thereby forced up sufficiently toenter the head a between the terminals 0 c, and thus come into intimatecontact therewith, and thereby close the electric circuit.

To obviate undue friction between the free end of the arm f and underside of the plate e, I pivot to said arm an antifriction-roller r, andin order to equalize the wear on the under side of the plate I pivot thesame to the stem d, as hereinbefore described. Said plate is thusallowed to turn, so as to bring different parts thereof successively incontact with the arm f. i denotes a rubber cushion attached to the topof said arm to obviate concussion in the descent of the plate. Inasmuchas the other arm h is subjected to consider able wear from its contactwith the wheels passing over it I provide said arm with a protectingshield or shoe h of case-hardened steel. Said shoe is formed with arecess or socket h", in which the free end portion of the arm h isdetachably secured by rivets or bolts 01 n, passing transversely throughsaid parts, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4: of the drawlngs.

To guard against the breaking of the arm h in case it shouldaccidentally stand with its free end inclined toward the approachingtrain, so as to cause the wheels to strike said arm at such an angle asto prevent its being turned, I bevel the outer face of the arm to thetop thereof, as shown at 0, and bevel the face of the socket or recess hof the shoe h from the bottom of the shoe to the face thereof, as shownin Fig. 5 of the drawings. In case the arm his subjected to theconcussion incident to the aforesaid accidental contact of the wheelswith the shoe h the beveled socket h allows the shoe to yield endwiseand break the rivets or bolts 01 and slip laterally from the arm h.

To cause the bell B to ring until the train has arrived at the crossingS or other place to be guarded, I employ a suitable detent It to engagea catch r on the stem (2, and thereby retain said stem in its elevatedposition, in which it closes the electric circuit, as illustrated inFig. 6 of the drawings.

I preferably form the detent of a bar pivoted intermediate of its lengthto one of the standards a and formed at one end with a hook, which iscaused to engage the under side of the lug r by the magnet j attractingthe armature attached to the opposite end of said lever, said magnetbeing in the same circuit with the terminals 0 c, and thus energizedsimultaneously with the raising of the stem cl. A spring S draws thedescribed detent out of engagement.

To stop the ringing of the bell B when the engine or train arrives atthe crossing S, I employ thereat or near the same anothercircuit-controlling instrument A, which is normally in a circuit-closingcondition and preferably similar to the instrument A in its generalconstruction-2'. 6., a vertically-movable stem m, guided between postsp19, has affixed to its upper end a metallic head m, by which it normallyrests upon electric terminals pp, secured to the tops of the posts. Tothe lower end of the stem is connected the plate e. A spiral spring Z,surrounding the lower end of the stem and pressing with opposite ends onthe under side of the case Z7 and top of the plate 6', insures thedownward movement of the stem to seat the head m upon the terminals p p,as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. One of said terminals is connectedby wire t to the magnet O of the bell B, and the other terminal isconnected by wire 6 to the battery U.

In connection with the described instrument I use a track-instrumentsimilar to that used in connection with the circuit-controllinginstrument A; but when the signal is employed on a single track road Iprovide the rock-shaft g with two arms f f, extending in oppositedirections from the shaft, so that the rocking of the shaft in eitherdirection will cause one of said arms to liftthe plate 6, with the stemm attached thereto.

The operation of the described automatic signal is as follows: In theapproach of the train toward the road-crossing S or other place to beguarded the wheels passing over the arm h of the rock-shaft g of thetrack-instrument atA causes the stem d to be lifted and thereby closethe circuit, as represented in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The magnet O ofthe bell B being thus energized causes said bell to ring. The detent 7c,engaging the lug or catch 1" on ICC IIO

the stem d, retains the same in its elevated position, and thus the bellcontinues to ring until the wheels of the train tilt the rockshaft g atA in a similar manner. This causes the stem m to be lifted, so as tocarry the head he out of contact with the terminals 19 p, andconsequently the circuit is broken and the ringing of the bell arrested.Simultaneously with this breaking of the circuit the magnet j at theinstrumentAis deprived of electric energy and caused to release thedetent k, which is then drawn out of engagement with the stem cl by thespring 8, said stem then being forced down to its normal position by thespring Z, as represented in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A track instrumentconsisting of the rock-shaft -gprovided with the permanently affixed armh beveled on its outer face to the top thereof, and the shoe hhaving thesocket -h beveled from the bottom to the face of the shoe and detachablysecured to the arm as set forth.

2. In combination with a track-instrument remote from the road-crossingand actuated by the passing train, a piston actuated in one direction bysaid instrument, a spring restoring the piston to its normal position,an electric circuit maker and breaker normally breaking the circuit andactuated by said piston to close the circuit, a detent movable to engageand release the piston, electro magnets actuating the detent to retainthe piston in In testimony whereof I have hereuntosigned my name this30th day of November,

. CHARLES H. SHERWOOD. [L- 8.]

Witnesses:

G. Li BENDIXON, J. J. LAASS.

